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February 4, 2025

The bookstore that gives back

Proceeds from Jing Si Books & Café’s sales support Tzu Chi’s various missions.

 

By Joy Rojas

 

 

In a time of e-books and online alternatives to magazines and newspapers, physical bookstores are a rarity.

 

Perhaps that’s why we’re instantly drawn to the few that still exist. For all the convenience of reading stories through our smartphones and computers, nothing beats the sensation of riffling your thumb through the pages of an actual paperback, or getting a whiff of its crisp new-book scent.

 

Located on the ground floor of Unity Hall in Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila, Jing Si Books & Café lives up to its English translation of “quiet contemplation” in so many ways.

 

“Peaceful” is how the bookstore’s attendant, Bea Mae Letrodo, describes her work place, a serene space whose glass walls and windows bring sunlight in, brightening up the room’s subtle colors and understated interiors in wood, metal, and concrete.

 

It’s a look that complements the bookstore’s finds. Sourced from Hualien, Taiwan, and a community in Palo, Leyte, they are all a reflection of Tzu Chi culture and way of life.

 

The ground floor is where you’ll see Tzu Chi founder Dharma Master Cheng Yen’s various books, including volumes of her Jing Si Aphorisms in English, Chinese, and Filipino. There are vegetarian food items ranging from teas to soups and snacks, as well as minimalist tea sets and heavy crystal Buddhas. 

 

Upstairs, the shelves showcase the award-winning products from Tzu Chi’s DA.AI Technology—shoes, shirts, bags, and more made with fabric processed from discarded single-use plastic bottles. The items share shelf space with handmade creations by survivors of Typhoon Yolanda, Leyteños who, with the help of Tzu Chi volunteers, now earn a living sewing sturdy bags and pouches accented with neat cross-stitch designs.

 

Food items, says Letrodo, are the bookstore’s best-sellers. So are the white bowls with lids, particularly when the foundation holds big events that include meals. 

 

Whatever you choose to purchase, know that you are making a difference in someone’s life. Proceeds from the bookstore’s sale support Tzu Chi’s various missions.

 

Jing Si Books & Café is open from 8 am to 5 pm. Visit Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus at 1000 Cordillera corner Lubiran Streets, Bacood, Sta. Mesa, Manila.

A wall of windows brings the outdoors into the Jing Si Books & Café, whose understated interiors capture “quiet contemplation,” as its name in Chinese suggests. A wall of windows brings the outdoors into the Jing Si Books & Café, whose understated interiors capture “quiet contemplation,” as its name in Chinese suggests.
Modular shelving showcases non-book items such as tea sets and ceramic figurines. Modular shelving showcases non-book items such as tea sets and ceramic figurines.
Food items at Jing Si Books & Café include vegetarian snacks, tea, soups, and ginger in a variety of forms. Food items at Jing Si Books & Café include vegetarian snacks, tea, soups, and ginger in a variety of forms.
Vegetarian snacks like biscuits, crisps, and rice pillows are among the bestsellers of the Jing Si Books & Café. Vegetarian snacks like biscuits, crisps, and rice pillows are among the bestsellers of the Jing Si Books & Café.
Also available are environment-friendly cleaning agents for the home. Also available are environment-friendly cleaning agents for the home.
Books by Dharma Master Cheng Yen are available in English, Chinese, and Filipino. Books by Dharma Master Cheng Yen are available in English, Chinese, and Filipino.
The second floor of Jing Si Books & Café is where you’ll find items from Tzu Chi’s DA.AI Technology: bags, clothes, and accessories made using material processed from discarded single-use plastic bottles. Handmade creations from a community of Typhoon Yolanda survivors in Palo, Leyte, are also available here. The second floor of Jing Si Books & Café is where you’ll find items from Tzu Chi’s DA.AI Technology: bags, clothes, and accessories made using material processed from discarded single-use plastic bottles. Handmade creations from a community of Typhoon Yolanda survivors in Palo, Leyte, are also available here.
Bags and pouches by a community of Typhoon Yolanda survivors in Palo, Leyte, are decorated with clean cross-stitch accents. Bags and pouches by a community of Typhoon Yolanda survivors in Palo, Leyte, are decorated with clean cross-stitch accents.
Like most of the items from DA.AI Technology, these shoes were once single-use plastic bottles! After being sorted and cleaned, the discarded bottles were shredded and melted, then processed into a yarn, which was then spun into fabric. Like most of the items from DA.AI Technology, these shoes were once single-use plastic bottles! After being sorted and cleaned, the discarded bottles were shredded and melted, then processed into a yarn, which was then spun into fabric.
These suitcases were also made with fabric that was once single-use plastic bottles. Look closely, and you’ll see the left one was made of 59 bottles, the right of 42. These suitcases were also made with fabric that was once single-use plastic bottles. Look closely, and you’ll see the left one was made of 59 bottles, the right of 42.
Jing Si Books & Café’s attendants are Bea Mae Letrodo (left) and Maylene Ornos. Ornos works fulltime, while Letrodo divides her week between the store and her studies. A Tzu Chi scholar, Letrodo is in her third year of BS Office Administration at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Jing Si Books & Café’s attendants are Bea Mae Letrodo (left) and Maylene Ornos. Ornos works fulltime, while Letrodo divides her week between the store and her studies. A Tzu Chi scholar, Letrodo is in her third year of BS Office Administration at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
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Tzu Chi Philippines

Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Philippines - Jing Si Hall

1000 Cordillera cor. Lubiran Sts., Bacood, Sta. Mesa, Manila 1016

(632) 8714 - 1188

info@tzuchi.org.ph

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